As part of the Rotary District 7430 Youth Exchange Program, the Wyomissing Public Library has been selected to receive a Rotary Peace Pole to plant at the library, located at 9 Reading Boulevard in Wyomissing.
The idea for this initiative originated with Linda Kennedy, who serves as Chair of the Rotary District 7430 Youth Exchange program, during the Rotary International worldwide convention held in June 2025. At this convention, leaders of Youth Exchange programs were encouraged to weave peace initiatives into their long-term exchanges. The Peace Pole is designed to foster unity among people of various cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
According to the Peace Pole website, “Peace Poles are recognized as the most prominent international symbol and monument dedicated to peace on earth. Peace Poles have been planted on every continent in over 200,000 communities by friends and supporters working in unison to uplift the consciousness of humankind. They serve as reminders to cultivate peace in thought, word, and action while symbolizing humanity’s shared desire for a world at peace and in harmony with all of creation.”
Every Peace Pole has the same message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” which was authored in 1955 by the late Masahisa Goi of Japan. The Peace Pole at the Wyomissing Public Library carries the message in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and Norwegian. These languages represent the countries of the current Rotary Youth Exchange Students for academic year 2025-26 living in Rotary District 7430. The Peace Pole at the library will join an international community around the world displaying the same universal message.
For more information about Rotary Peace Poles and to see an interactive map with Peace Poles throughout the world, please visit Peace Building – Rotary World Peace Pole: RotaryPeacePoles.world.
The Rotary District 7430 Youth Exchange program is made possible by the support of local Rotary Clubs. There are both a short-term (summer) exchange program and a long-term (academic year) exchange program. Their efforts focus on meaningful initiatives that make a positive impact, one student and one Peace Pole at a time. To learn more about becoming an exchange student or a host family please visit our website at Home Page | Rotary District 7430 Youth Exchange www.Rotary7430yep.org.
The Peace Pole at the library will be dedicated in Spring 2026 by the current Rotary Youth Exchange Program students in our region.